An estimated 174,300 to 230,000 U.S. military service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are affected by Gulf War Illness (GWI). GWI is characterized by the persistent presentation of multiple functional symptoms involving a combination of diverse complaints centering on chronic fatigue, cognitive difficulties, and muscle pain, as well as mood disturbances and sleep problems that are not explained by established medical diagnoses. While the etiology of the GWI symptom complex is not known, GWI clinical complications typically persist over long terms, cause significant pain and suffering, and interfere with the ability of affected veterans to successfully integrate back into the civilian society. There is no treatment for GWI and there is an urgent need to develop novel interventions either to resolve underlying GWI mechanisms, or to alleviate major GWI clinical complications.

Recent evidence from our group and from others revealed/highlighted the potential value of flavonoid, a class of chemicals found in some plants and common dietary preparations that may help alleviate chronic fatigue and preserve against cognitive functions. Based on this, our overall goal is to test the potential efficacy of dietary supplementation with a combination of a flavonoid-rich preparation (FRP), comprised of two commercially available products, to alleviate clinical complications in veterans with GWI. In particular, we propose a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to test the feasibility and potential efficacy of FRP dietary supplementation to treat cognitive deficits and chronic fatigue in veterans with GWI.

Evidence gathered by our proposed studies will provide the necessary proof-of-principle data and support future development of broader efficacy studies of a specific, readily available nutritional supplementation regimen, FRP, for treating veterans with GWI.